Southern Nevada services for families with concerns of a possible Autism Spectrum Disorder have been expanding and the future looks even better. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 68 children in the United States; the disorder is 5 times more common among boys (1 in 42) than among girls (1 in 189) according to a Centers for Disease Control report from March 2014. Children and families of all races and cultural groups are affected. ASD is a disorder of social communication deficits and unusual behavioral patterns that make it difficult for affected children to interact with others. The symptoms of ASD are broken down into two main areas, social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior.
Social communication deficits can include:
• difficulty initiating social interactions
• inability to have back-and-forth conversations
• little or no interest in peers
• poor eye contact
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior can include:
• lining up toys or flipping toys/objects
• repeating phrases they heard on television or from others
• distress at small changes and difficulty transitioning from one activity to another
• preoccupation with objects that children are usually not very interested in
• overreaction to sensory stimuli
ASD symptoms usually present before 3 years of age, however parents frequently notice early signs around 15-18 months of age. Researchers have suggested that sometimes symptoms can be seen by trained professionals even before 1 year of age. This is important because early intervention leads to the best outcomes for children diagnosed with ASD. Children with ASD also have the same health care needs as other children and have an even higher risk for seizures, gastrointestinal problems and sleep disturbances. Children with ASD often have motor delays and/or motor coordination problems.
The identification of ASD is made in two ways, either through school-based testing leading to an educational eligibility which qualifies the child for ASD-specific school based services or by a physician, typically a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, neurologist or psychologist, leading to a medical diagnosis which qualifies the child for coverage of private services. Nevada has a state-funded program, the Autism Treatment Assistance Program (ATAP), that assists with funding for ASD-specific services.
In Southern Nevada, families with concern that their child may have an ASD should do two things immediately; 1) refer their child to Nevada Early Intervention if the child is younger than 3 years of age or to their school district’s Child Find program if their child is 3 years of age or older and 2) discuss their concern with their child’s doctor. At that point the child’s doctor will likely refer the child to a developmental pediatrician, neurologist or psychologist for a diagnosis and management plan. The UNLV Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) also has a multidisciplinary clinic for diagnosis and management planning.
Once a medical diagnosis has been made a plan for management needs to be put in place. This plan will include various aspects depending on the child’s specific deficits and issues.
A treatment plan for ASD could include any of the following elements:
• Applied Behavioral Analysis-based interventions (Early Start Denver Model, ABA home programming, school-based ABA programs,
and clinic or community-based programs)
• Speech therapy — to support communication and speech development
• Occupational therapy — for motor delays and sensory processing problems
• Social skills training (fun, small-group social skills classes)
• Medical management for associated health issues (seizures, sleep disturbances, etc…)
There are multiple providers in Las Vegas for each of the therapies listed above. The UNLV CASD maintains and publishes a listing of providers. A copy of the current resource guide can be downloaded from the UNLV CASD website (unlvcoe.org/casd/). The many excellent ASD parent support groups found in Las Vegas are another great resource for services. Among these are Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) and Azul Blue, dedicated to serving Spanish speaking families, and Grant-a-Gift Autism Foundation. These parent support groups also offer a multitude of services, educational programs, and activities meant to enrich the lives of children with ASD and their families.
Among the most exciting news for the autism community in Southern Nevada is the announcement of a collaboration between the UNLV CASD, the soon-to-open UNLV medical school, and Grant-a-Gift Autism Foundation to open a comprehensive autism center that will provide diagnostic services, therapy programs, education, and research in 2016.